The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 394

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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394

What is he doing here?
And not even at the Seoul Dormitory—how did he find out about this Pension we booked for the schedule?

“You’re looking at me like I’m a ghost.”

Joo Woo-sung, who had been blinking in surprise, adjusted Nyang-nyang in his arms once more before casually dropping himself into one of the outdoor chairs on the Terrace.

“…Did you follow me here? With Nyang-nyang too?”
“What are you talking about… Hey, have I lost my mind? You think I’d follow you all the way here just because I was bored?”

He’d apparently forgotten all about following me to LA because he was bored.
I glanced around the Living Room with just my eyes, and it seemed the other Members hadn’t noticed Joo Woo-sung’s arrival yet, since he’d come straight out to the first-floor Terrace.
I sat down in the chair across from him. Nyang-nyang then stretched languidly before approaching me with slow, graceful steps.
As I gently scratched the purring cat’s chin, Joo Woo-sung finally began his explanation with a soft cough.

“Well, with Black Call’s comeback preparations overlapping with WH Con practice, it’s been hard to get home. I’m not really a fan of having people stay at my place, but pet sitters have their limits, so I was just planning to leave Nyang-nyang with my cousin for a while. That’s why I came to Jeju Island—Nyang-nyang’s mother is there.”

He rambled on with what he clearly thought was a solid excuse, but every sentence was riddled with contradictions.
For someone who supposedly didn’t like having people in his home, he’d been awfully unbothered when I visited. And it wasn’t like he’d been unable to go home just once or twice because of a packed schedule.
I studied him with a suspicious gaze and drove straight to the fundamental question.

“Never mind that. Why are you at this Pension?”
“Why? Is there somewhere I’m not allowed to go? Besides, it’d be nice to talk about the collaboration anyway.”

Joo Woo-sung added that WH Entertainment employees would pluck stars from the sky if he asked, so finding out where he was staying was nothing, then laughed.
In other words, he’d sweet-talked one of the staff members into telling him.

“How about it? Our Nyang-nyang wants to see his mother, doesn’t he~?”

I’d thought he’d at least say something when I hung up the call mid-conversation, but Joo Woo-sung just grinned like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Ah, the air in Jeju Island is so nice~.”

A biting wind swept in from all directions, sharp enough to make teeth chatter, yet he brushed back his tousled brown hair with a refreshing smile.

‘Does group activity really bring him this much joy? His face is absolutely alive.’

If he was going to crave Black Call activities this much, why had he struggled so badly with a slump at the beginning?
His condition still seemed to fluctuate somewhat, but since his relationship with the members didn’t appear strained, I figured it might be fine.

“Why are you staring like that? You’re making me uncomfortable.”

You seem to have turned over a new leaf.
I pushed back the unnecessary thoughts and decided to change the subject.

“Since you came all the way to Jeju Island to see me, I have a favor to ask. Could you give Kim Sung-hyun an autograph, take a photo with him, and give him some advice to get his head on straight? He’s an extremely devoted fan of Joo Woo-sung.”
“I’m telling you again—I didn’t come because of you.”
“Just do it anyway, yeah? He might even be Bloy’s first generation.”
“That’s ridiculous.”

Joo Woo-sung scoffed dismissively, but I found the story quite credible.

“Anyway, since we’re collaborating now, it would be nice if you could offer some counseling too. He seems to be putting in enough effort, but his skills aren’t improving. Still, you’d know better about this aspect than anyone.”
“Are you a parent?”
“Stop being sarcastic.”

Now that I thought about it, this guy had flatly refused a request to watch Kim Sung-hyun dance before.
Whatever he saw in my expression, Joo Woo-sung raised both hands in a calming gesture.

“Whoa, hold on. Just listen to what I have to say. Do you know why I keep refusing your requests?”
“Because you’re petty?”
“Seriously.”

He clicked his tongue irritably and crossed his arms.

“Kim Sung-hyun needs to break free from me.”

Then he turned his head and stared into the distance for a long moment before continuing.

“…Before, or rather, until recently, I really couldn’t stand how that guy had all three things perfectly aligned—talent, effort, and luck… Even though his recognition is far lower than mine, it still bothered me….”
“You’re just a sore loser.”
“That’s not it! Didn’t you notice something strange? You just said it yourself—Kim Sung-hyun puts in effort but his skills aren’t improving.”

When I merely shrugged my shoulders and demanded he just give me an answer, Joo Woo-sung—exhaling deeply as if exasperated—scratched his cheek with his index finger and spoke matter-of-factly.

“Right now, whatever I say won’t mean anything. He needs to find his own dance.”

I’d been thinking something similar myself.
That this was a point where change was necessary.

“So how exactly do you do that? Send him to study in California or something?”
“What kind of nonsense is that? It’s not like that….”

Joo Woo-sung paused at my question, then suddenly lowered his eyebrows and fixed me with an irritating expression.

“…No, Ttukttaki. Don’t bother trying to understand. Even if I explained for a hundred days, someone like you wouldn’t get it.”
“It’s been a while and you’re already getting on my nerves.”
“Who do you think taught you that?”

Watching him chuckle made me suddenly feel exhausted. I was about to get up and dump Joo Woo-sung on Kim Sung-hyun so I could get some sleep, when he suddenly grabbed my wrist.

“…But listen—.”

At the same time, he asked in a deliberately soft voice.

“—Ho-yoon, aren’t you worried about anyone? There seems to be someone else who’s really serious about this….”

The way his lips twitched was utterly annoying—exactly the look of someone trying to mess with me.
I watched my anger rise like white smoke with each deep breath, swallowing down the churning inside, when Joo Woo-sung finally couldn’t hold back his laughter and burst out loud. Then he picked up Nyang-nyang, who had been humming on my lap, and pressed down on me with his front paws. Nyang-nyang, who had become more sensitive in this unfamiliar place, sprang up like a spring and scratched Joo Woo-sung viciously before landing on the ground.

“Ow, hey, you little brat!”

Nyang-nyang ignored Joo Woo-sung’s screams and circled around my feet, rubbing against them.

“There, there, good job, good job.”
“There, there, you did well, you did well.”

I stroked the cat’s back generously with praise. Joo Woo-sung, who was tidying up a sweater full of snags from sharp claws, pouted his lips and grumbled.

“Let’s see if you can act like that even during practice.”

He pretended not to hear by scratching his ear with his pinky finger, then cradled Nyang-nyang in his arms again and waved his hand toward somewhere. When he turned his head, the Members were recognizing Joo Woo-sung and greeting him. Kim Sung-hyun was already grabbing his coat, ready to go out right away.

“Well, I’ll still do a decent job playing the senior.”

The corners of his mouth, raised so high, carried an unsettling quality.

***

To Joo Woo-sung’s insistent proposal—whether out of stubbornness, habit, determination, necessity, or absolute resolve—to quickly synchronize the choreography today, right now, Nyang-nyang deferred to the other members’ judgment, and only three of us, including Kim Sung-hyun, moved to the largest room in the pension.
Without even a backing track, Joo Woo-sung demonstrated the moves, and even beneath my irritation, I had to acknowledge it.
He was the most elegant and beautiful dancer I knew.

“Hey! Seo Ttukttaki! Get your head in the game!!”

Of course, such admiration lasted less than a minute.
The guy would be perfect if he’d just stop this nonsense.
Even though I was putting in genuine effort, being criticized not just by Joo Woo-sung but by Kim Sung-hyun as well made my voice rise involuntarily.

“Come on, take it easy! If I’d debuted in another group, I’d have the skills to be a main dancer, you know?!”
“Did you actually debut on Earth as an idol?!”

So much for playing the impressive senior—this just looked like a scheme to push me around.

“Alright, that’s enough. I’ll show you what I’m made of once we’re back in Seoul.”

Exhausted and unable to properly wipe away my sweat, I collapsed onto the floor, and Joo Woo-sung crept closer before tapping my leg with his foot.

“Already done? Phew, you should be grateful you’re in The Dun. If you were in Black Call, I’d have forced you up and made you do it again.”

‘You should be grateful instead.’

I raised my middle finger internally.
I’d kidnapped a perfectly content PD and forcibly converted him into an idol—this should be enough. Besides, if he were a member of my group, I wouldn’t have let him off at this level either.
Instead of responding, I just waved my hand dismissively, but Joo Woo-sung’s gaze had oddly shifted to Kim Sung-hyun.

“…Hmm, hey, Seo Ho-yoon.”
“Yes?”
“If you’re really struggling, go outside and get some fresh air.”

It was a tactful dismissal.
As I narrowed my eyes and simply watched, he kicked my leg again. It was his way of saying he had something to discuss with Kim Sung-hyun.

‘…Is he about to give me advice right now?’

“…Y-yes. Ttukttaki is leaving~.”
“Yeah, get out of here.”

I moved sluggishly out of the room, grabbed a water bottle from the kitchen, and stepped onto the veranda. Walking along the terrace toward the far corner, light spilled through a window as I approached.
Crouching behind one of the chairs positioned there, I caught sight of Joo Woo-sung and Kim Sung-hyun inside.
I cracked the window open just slightly, creating a narrow gap, and pressed my ear against it.

“—Boss, I accidentally spoiled the WH Con collaboration during the live stream. I’m truly sorry….”
“Ah, forget it. That’s no big deal. What I wanted to talk about is something else….”

Joo Woo-sung glanced around awkwardly before broaching the real topic.

“…I heard you’ve been worrying a lot lately? That your dancing isn’t coming along well?”
“Ah, um… Yes, you heard about that… To be honest, I am a bit concerned….”

Kim Sung-hyun looked even more dejected than when he’d apologized.

“I believed that if I kept working as hard as I always have, I would improve… but lately I’ve been stuck in a plateau, and that belief is crumbling.”

His voice wavered with anxiety.
Honestly, I didn’t believe that a few words from Joo Woo-sung would suddenly elevate Kim Sung-hyun’s skill dramatically. I was simply curious about what would pass between them.
Joo Woo-sung, who had been listening quietly, stroked his chin with his hand before answering matter-of-factly.

“Hyun-sung, that’s a slump.”
“Oh! I see!!”
“Yeah, and if I were you….”

Kim Sung-hyun accepted his words as gospel truth and immediately leaned his upper body forward, unwilling to miss a single word that would follow.

“I hope you experience a really severe and painful slump.”
“…What?”

I had been taking a sip of water at that very moment and had to quickly cover my mouth to keep from spitting it out.
I glanced at them hurriedly, worried I’d been discovered, but fortunately they were too focused on their conversation to notice.

“I know it won’t get through to Ttukttaki who just left, but Kim Sung-hyun, you need to understand. There’s such a thing as intuition.”
“…Intuition?”
“Yes. For instance, it’s not just about extending your arm—it’s about how you position your fingertips, where your gaze should land when you lift your head. Not merely mechanical movements, but fluid motion. Not just exhaled breath, but a continuous flow of energy.”

Oh, come on.
As this tedious lecture suddenly began, I let out a yawn, waiting for something actually useful to emerge.

“You’re still at a stage where you need to struggle more.”
“….”
“So I hope you experience and endure a very long, terrifying, dark, and profound slump. The way I did. Do you understand?”

Joo Woo-sung added in an oddly gentle tone.

“Develop depth.”

I sent him to help, and instead he’s pouring salt on the wound, this bastard.

‘Ugh, no help at all.’

I sighed and turned back toward the Living Room, but neither Kim Sung-hyun nor the other members were anywhere to be seen. Joo Woo-sung sat alone on the sofa with a refreshed expression, petting Nyang-nyang as if it were his own home.

“Why are you coming out from there? Anyway, be grateful to me. I just gave Kim Sung-hyun some mind-blowing advice.”
“…You’re really pathetic, truly pathetic.”

Joo Woo-sung, who had been grinning, faltered and rolled his eyes in a full circle.

“…You were eavesdropping?”
“It was incredibly helpful.”
“Damn it…. Don’t misunderstand. Everything I said was correct. I don’t even know why I’m explaining this…!!”

I covered my ears and made an “la la la” sound.

‘Forget it, Joo Woo-sung. I never had expectations anyway.’

All I wanted now was for him to disappear.
A moment later, Joo Woo-sung gave up on his excuses, ruffled his hair wildly, and poked me in the ribs repeatedly.

“Seo Ho-yoon, so what are you going to do? Seriously, this is no joke—you’re in a serious situation. Will you stay and help with practice?”
“No.”

I pulled out my phone from my pants pocket and showed him a video.

“So WH really is a major corporation, huh?”

We hadn’t even begun proper rehearsals yet, but everything was already mapped out—from the dancers’ concepts to the camera angles.
Joo Woo-sung tilted his head as he processed this.

“But what is this? It’s just angles——.”
“….”
“—…wait. You’re not saying.”

Exactly.
What you’re thinking.

“You’re only practicing the parts that show up on camera?”

I pulled my lips into a grin.
Even ordinary choreography could transform into something like Joo Woo-sung’s level with the right angles and framing. There was a reason people talked about “camera magic.”
No matter how hard I practiced, time was simply too limited. This method was the best way to achieve good results.

“Hey, you crazy bastard. Once the fancams drop, you’re completely exposed!”
“You think I wouldn’t know that? Fortunately—or unfortunately, rather—there are no fancams at this WH Con.”
“Are you seriously insane?”

How else was I supposed to survive among all these dance prodigies?
I was confident.
The guy who used to shake his head saying “I’m the best at cutting corners in the world” let out a long, heavy sigh.

“Ugh, watching you do this really breaks my heart….”
“….”

Bastard.
And so, the WH Entertainment audience-less concert recording, scheduled for mid-December, drew steadily closer.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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